The Commerce Department will proceed with an investigation of rubber band exports from three countries including China. That’s not a surprise given Commerce has taken up every AD/CVD petition since the start of the Trump administration, though it is also the most recent case to be petitioned – there have been no applications in February so far. The case is relatively small at $82 million, though a 21% bounce in imports in the fourth quarter was led by a 29% increase in shipments from China.